It’s a classic case of an explanation in search of a problem -and they’ve found one: Americans just aren’t as empathetic as they used to be. Of course once the problem was isolated, research dollars could be allocated to researching the cause: why are so many Americans today incapable of identifying with the pain and shutruggles of their fellow Americans?

I can think of a plethora of reasons for Americans’ shrinking empathy gene - and none of them have anything to do with acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin. Here’s my short list: